The intent of most diet plans is to shed those extra pesky pounds. Vegetarianism, on the other hand, is more about a lifestyle change. Despite the health or personal motives to venture into this exclusive diet plan, it’s important to understand what eating patterns fall into the umbrella of a vegetarian regimen. So, to break it down, we had registered dieticians Karin Kratina and Tracy Brown from Nutrition Therapy Associates weigh in on the benefits and health risks of these various diets—with the most important factor being that the pros and cons of each largely depend on what exactly is consumed within the diet.
- Vegetarian- Properly termed, a vegetarian diet is actually a lacto-ovo-vegetarian. This means that while red meat, poultry fish or animal flesh of any kind is excluded, eggs and dairy products remain.
Health side
From Karin: This diet can be very high in fiber, but it can be bad if you use it as a weight-loss method. It’s hard to say what the exact health benefits are, as it depends how someone eats on the diet. In its purest form, the diet can be extremely high in nutrients.
From Tracy: On a vegetarian diet, there’s a lower risk of chronic disease. For this high-fiber diet, every food eaten does not need to be high in fiber in order to reap the benefits of a high fiber intake.
- Vegan- A vegan diet is essentially a vegetarian food plan kicked up a notch. Intake is void of any meat, eggs, dairy products or processed foods containing any animal-derived ingredients. For example, vegans don’t eat gelatin, a solid substance derived from collagen that is obtained from animal by-products. It is generally used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography and cosmetic manufacturing.
Health side
From Karin: There’s nothing wrong with the diet, but unlike the vegetarian diet, which typically has a low risk of nutrient deficiencies, the vegan diet can be hard to follow and can lead to a lack of certain nutrients, like a vitamin B-12 deficiency, if you’re not careful. Like the vegetarian diet, it’s unhealthy as a weight-loss mechanism.
From Tracy: A vitamin B-12 deficiency can make it more likely to become anemic. When the deficiency becomes extreme, it can lead to headaches, loss of appetite, shortness of breath and fatigue. The reason vegans are at a higher risk of developing this deficiency is because most people get a lot of their B-12 from animal foods, which are cut out on this diet. But there are foods that are vegan-friendly and high in vitamin B-12, including Morningstar vegetarian and vegan products, soy milk, cereals fortified with B-12 and other products specifically labeled as “fortified with B-12.”
- Ovo-vegetarian- This diet follows that of a vegan, but with eggs included.
Health side
From Tracy: This diet is not that difficult, as long as foods from all different food groups are eaten. Nutrients that ovo-vegetarians might not get enough of are calcium and protein, so it’s important to pay attention to intake values for those nutrients.
- Lacto-vegetarian- Similar to ovo-vegetarians, this follows a vegan diet with one exception: dairy products.
Health side
From Karin: Similar to the ovo-vegetarian diet, it’s easier to have enough protein on this diet than on the vegan diet.
From Tracy: The best sources of protein on this diet are cheese, yogurts and other dairy products, but many use a protein supplement to guarantee sufficient amounts of protein.
- Pescatarian- This might be one of those terms you’ve heard many times but don’t actually know its definition. That’s because the word is not often used when describing the diet— despite the popularity of this kind of eating. Pescatarians eat fish but no meat or animal flesh.
Health side
From Karin: This eliminates sources of protein, but if fish is eaten regularly, protein intake will be fine.
From Tracy: Fish can provide enough protein for someone, even if it’s the only source of protein. Typically though, on this diet, one’s primary protein source will be fish and supplemented by the small amounts of protein in grains, fruits and vegetables. Two servings of fish a day will provide enough protein for the average person, which is about 5 to 6 ounces of fish and 35 to 42 grams of protein in those 5 to 6 ounces.
- Gluten-free- The diet’s original purpose was to treat celiac disease, but in recent years, it’s become a new phenomenon. People are using this eating plan just as another means to lose weight. The gluten-free diet has one requirement, though: don’t eat the protein gluten. It’s found in grains like wheat, barley, rye and triticale.
Health side
From Karin: Contrary to popular belief, there’s nothing magical about this diet; you won’t instantly lose weight from it. If you do it correctly, it can be very challenging; most things have gluten in them, even things that don’t seem like it, such as salad dressing. But if you’re in it for the weight loss, you’ll probably let a few things slide, and it’s more doable.
- Macrobiotic- A Macrobiotic diet includes unprocessed vegan foods, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables with the addition of fish. On this diet, you avoid sugars and refined oils, focusing on consuming Asian vegetables such as daikon and seaweed.
Health side
From Karin: If eaten correctly, this diet is a great source of nutrients, but it’s so limited. When you eliminate a food group, you have to be careful
you’re not missing proteins.
From Tracy: For this diet to be successful and healthy, it needs to be very well-planned. This diet can be fairly high in fiber, folic acid, Vitamin C, grains, fruits and vegetables. Some deficiencies that can result from this diet include those in calcium, iron and Vitamin D.
*Other diet types:
Pollo-vegetarian- A diet rich in poultry, vegetables, eggs and dairy; excluding red meat, pork and seafood
Semi-vegetarian- A diet rich in dairy, eggs, and on occasion red meat, poultry, seafood and pork; sometimes excluding meats
Fruitarian- A diet rich in raw fruit, grains and nuts; excluding processed or cooked foods, meat, eggs and dairy, and all parts of plants resulting in the death of the plant